Dighton recall initiative sent back to selectmen for changes

An initiative that will allow Dighton voters to recall elected officials was approved by the state House of Representatives but stalled after reaching the Senate.

In a letter to selectmen, state Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, and state Rep. Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset, told selectmen that the secretary of state expressed several concerns about the initiative.

They recommended redrafting the petition and taking another Town Meeting vote.

One concern brought up was that the proposed Dighton initiative requires only one voter affidavit while most communities require at least 10 but usually 25 to start the process, according to the letter.

Another issue raised was that the Dighton initiative requires that petition signers write down their precinct number. However, under that premise, the signature would appear invalid if the signer fails to write down his or her precinct number, according to the letter,

Another issue raised also had to do with the language within the Dighton initiative. The initiative specifies that 15 percent of registered voters from each precinct is needed as of the most recent election. But that point fails to specify if it should be 20 days before the election, which is the deadline to register in town.

The state secretary was also concerned about the timing. The Dighton initiative calls for a recall vote 50 to 80 days after notification from the town clerk that the petition was sufficient. The timing is inconsistent with state law, which calls for a minimum of 64 days, also according to the letter.

Reached last week, Selectman Patrick Menges said he reviewed the letter from the secretary of state.

“The adoption of legislation is a process," he said, "and sometimes the process of adopting legislation requires redrafting and restarting."